The Crystalline Dawn
by Thewritingimplamentknownasapen
Summary: A new age falls on Equestria. An age where Discord does not rule and peace and harmony are present. Little do the inhabitants know that they have been deceived. This is the story of one unicorn who sets out to uncover the truth and expose it for all of Equestria. It is a tale of vengeance, deceit and more than five speaking lines. It is the truth behind the web of lies told to us.
1. Chapter 1

_I think I'm supposed to write in italics, but I dunno. For those of you who are hoping for a minor surprise, don't read this. Oh, and SPOILER ALERT. This is my little alternative Equestria/ back-story for Sombra. I, like many other bronies found Sombra to be the most underdeveloped villains, so I'm trying to spice him up a bit! Anyway this is my first time writing a fanfic, but I hope you enjoy it. If you do enjoy it, favorites, and follows always help! If you didn't like it, if you wouldn't mind leaving some critique in the review section it would be much appreciated. Thanks! _

Armor clinking, the dark stallion made his way through the rain, determination motivating him toward his goal. Every time his body urged him to stop, he reminded himself why he was moving. The thought of the tyrant made him sick. All the ponies thought her a benevolent ruler, the one who had saved them from the _Draconequus, _but they had been deceived! He was the only one who could see it. No one would believe, but he knew what would make them believe. Once he had power everypony would respect him, believe him. They would see she was always manipulating events from the safety of her palace. She rid herself of everyone who came close to the truth. Her sister had begun to learn the truth and she had been cast to the moon, given a powerful memory altering spell that would make her forget. Luna had never wanted to become the beast she had, it was the tyrant who made her like that.

The ground began to slope giving way the entrance to the cave, its gaping mouth swallowing light, darkness and everything about the unicorn's previous life. The stallion trudged forward, his exhaustion giving way the grit determination and an unsuppressed rage that bellowed out from his core. His horn began to cast an illumination spell, giving him a clear view of the treacherous decent before him. He knew what had to be done, the tyrant must be overthrown, and her treachery, exposed. She had ruined too many lives, destroyed too many villages, and weaved too many conspiracies to be let pass. They had defeated the D_raconequus, _true, but the one named Discord had been replaced by another malevolent ruler, one much more sly, and more secretive. Her ways were never of brute strength, nor power, but of deception and persuasion. The ponies of Equestria saw nothing of the truth; only lies. Ghosts of ponies, both stallions and mares confronted him warning him away from the gaping mouth of the cave, but he paid them no mind. He was on a mission. The Stallion marched forward the cave giving way to the ruins of an ancient temple. Darkness curled around his horn, so absolute it blotted out the light of his magic. The powerful unicorn struggled to keep power flowing to his horn; to let some light guide him to his destination. Darkness shrouded all but a few feet in front of him. He knew spirits of ancient creatures dwelled here, drawn by the dark energy emanating from the center of the ruins. He could feel them all around him; they hovered in silence, not discouraging him nor encouraging him; only observing.

At last he reached his destination. The narrow passage he had been following broadened to a wider clearing. The ceiling stretched up for about fifty-feet and then curved into a dome like shape. The ground in front of him was flat with concentric circles leading to a faintly glowing violet obelisk. The obelisk had markings running from the peak down to the ground; they were the things giving off the light. The unicorn took his time moving toward the obelisk, and though the only thing his body wanted was to lie down and rest, he had waited for this moment too long to wait for rest. The unicorn put his notched horn in contact with the obelisk and willed a faint trickle of magic to flow into it. The effect was immediate; the obelisk's light extinguished as a candle would to water.

"_WHO DARES INTERRUPT MY SLUMBER? COME FORTH NOW AND YOUR PUNISHMENT WILL BE SLIGHTLY LESS SEVERE." _ The voice thundered into the pony forcing him down to the ground. Pain arced through his head, making him feel fear and making him want to break free of the obelisk and flee from the cave, but he fought with all his might and lifted himself from the ground. "_That is most unwise, wretched coal you do not understand who you have disrespected. I am an entity far more powerful than you. I have seen the many ages of Equestria, I have broken many ponies; you shall be no different." _

Once again, pain drove him down, becoming unbearable. The being pushed upon him with renewed vigor, the stallion's vision becoming a swarm of black dots, bringing him ever closer to unconsciousness. The power of the being's presence flung him backward and his back hit the far wall with a sickening thud. He tried to rise, but it felt like a force of gravity as large as the Earth itself was crushing him. His vision began winking out, coming in waves. His life literally flashed before his eyes, his first lessons becoming a soldier, his marriage, the birth of his colt. Determination rushed through him and a new-found strength rushed into him. He had come too far to be turned back by a stupid rock with psychic powers. The idea made him laugh and he felt the entity become puzzled, uncertainty creeping into its thoughts. The dark stallion tossed his head back and shot his magic through the room, illuminating it fully. Its spell of darkness broken, the creature began to feel hints of fear. Moving toward the obelisk in a confident saunter, he continued his spell driving the being back.

"You want to know who I am, do you? I am the stallion who will crush you and add you power to my own. I am the one who will conquer all of Equestria and restore her to her former glory. I am Celestia's nightmare." He was face to face with the entity, his horn touching the crystalline obelisk, and he was grinning wildly, his sudden ferociousness frightening himself. "I am your master. I am Sombra!"

*Update* Hey so if you liked this then that's cool. I have the next chapter all written out, but it needs some editing, and I have a birthday coming up, so I'll be a bit busy. Anyway, I'll posting the next chapter either this weekend or Monday. Hope to see you soon!


	2. Chapter 2

"All right, fillies, we've been given a direct order by the bloody princess herself! Seems like she finally decided to get off her lazy plot and do something!" The young commander was greeted by a roar of laughter and a few hearty cheers. He smiled for a moment until the commotion died down, a pleasant tingle running down his spine. The commander was not here to make make jokes. He sighed and his expression and tone grew serious. [new para]"Now, my friends is the time for the Crystal battalion to show its power! We will prove that we are just as much a part of Equestria as Canterlot, Manehattan, or anywhere else," Sombra yelled. Once again encouraged by cheers and the sheer audacity of the crowd, the unicorn grew bolder.  
" Our enemy is the queen of changelings, Queen Chrysalis. Gentlecolts, we are tasked in defending the land from the changelings, while Celestia fights Discord. Queen Chrysalis has been getting bolder, and we should know." The commander began pacing back and forth on the long table, the eyes of the ponies around him following his every step.

"We have been the ones paying for her bold attacks, not the bigwigs in Canterlot!" Another roar from the crowd beckoned him onward. "It's been the Crystal Empire who has been fighting back the endless hordes of Changelings, who pillage our lands and kill all who resist. It has been us who have defended these lands from this threat for years! It has been our blood that has been spilled, our stallions who have died, and our widows who have weeped. This time we do not wait for winter to close the passage between their land and ours, to wait for the abominations to creep back into their caves. Now is the time to take the fight to them! We will march on the changelings and we will show them that the Crystal Empire is not to be trifled with!"

Sombra drew the heavy broadsword stationed on his flank, its steel blade reflecting the bright light of his levitation spell. With the magnificent blade high over his head he shouted, "For the crystal empire!" The crowd echoed the phrase with a roar that shook the hall. Sombra stepped down from the table, and was greeted by the many energetic warriors of The Crystal Empire. They slapped him on the back as he walked by and grinned at him. The buzz of the crowd gave Sombra a light-headed feeling. The black maned stallion made his way to the barrels of cider in the far back corner of the tent. "Oy! Com'on these colts are thirsty; break out the cider!"

The Stallions thundered their approval. Sombra lifted the flap of the tent and stepped out into the warm spring weather. His wife was sitting by an old oak tree tending to their foal, Stormbreaker. He was a funny young foal with a coat the color of chocolate icing, like his mother and a mane of jet black, like his father. He had an energetic personality and was popular among the other ponies his age. When Stormbreaker saw his father, the his face brightened and he bounded up to Sombra; hanging on to him as a limpet would a rock. His wife, Stargazer, stopped what she was doing and stared at him, a wry smile upon her lips. Her golden mane flowing in the gentle breeze as she moved toward him. Her coat was like chocolate icing but with white stripes stretching from the back of her head to her tail. Her eyes were the color of maroon and always looked warm and kind. Hers were the kind of eyes that would make you feel as if you could confide in her anything. "Boy, did you make a mistake giving those particular group of colts cider," Stargazer commented playfully, rolling her eyes, " They'll be up all night partying and making a ruckus.''

"Its always better if you end a speech with cider. That way even if you mess up your speech so horribly that no one cheers at all, they'll still look back on it fondly. It's saved my hide many a time," Sombra said lightheartedly, "Besides I wouldn't be thinking about sleep tonight if I were you"  
He gave her a small kiss and she pushed him away playfully. She frowned as she looked at him, trying to look disapproving, but it never reached her eyes.

"Som, not now, not in front of Stormbreaker." Stargazer said, her voice ringing with authority. Sombra smiled and ruffled the foal's mane.

"I'm going over by Crimson's house, want to come along, kiddo?" Sombra asked cheerfully. Stormbreaker looked up at his mother eyes pleading. An unobservant pony might not have seen the subtle shift from an ordinary little foal to one of hnnnggg potential. His mother sighed, she had seen through it too, his too-cute-to-resist look. She mulled it over thoughtfully.

"Alright, but if you go you have to complete all your chores without complaint, okay?" Stormbreaker whooped with glee and set off at a full sprint toward Crimson's house. His mother looked on after him feeling Sombra bring her close to him. She closed her eyes and comforted herself in his warmth. He gave her one last kiss on the top of her mane.

"Don't worry we'll be back in time for supper, I promise. Crimson just wants to give me a new blade for the upcoming battle." Sombra comforted. Stargazer looked at him skeptically and then went back to her stop by the tree. Sombra watched her go, smiling as he did. He loved her and his son more than anything else in Equestria. The only reason he had agreed to becoming commander of the crystal battalion was because of them. Stargazer was writing a book, something about the study of the mysterious stones with different emblems inscribed on them. There were six altogether each unique. Some of her colleagues, unicorns, had immediately felt a magic presence inside it. She had been working on it for months. She was convinced that it held an ancient power, unstoppable in the hands of the right being. Sombra, being of the battle mage mindset, wasn't quite as dedicated in his beliefs about the topic. He thought more along the lines that battles were won with blade and shield, no with spherical stones with special powers. He turned away from her and began the short trek to Crimson's house.

Crimson was an old friend of Sombra's. They had been best friends ever since they started school, and their friendship had never ceased since then. His old friend was now his right-hand man. Sombra may have had the power, the charisma and the instincts of a warrior, but Crimson had the brains. He was Sombra's advisor, his tactician, his counselor, and needless to say, his friend. Somra made his way along to cobble-stone path to his house. It was a modest house, two floors, made of oak and painted a light indigo. It wasn't a house that you'd expect to find one of the most revered tacticians in Equestria, but it kept the cold out pretty well. As Sombra trotted up the steps, somepony called out to him. Sombra turned around, noticing a stallion with a coat the color of bronze with hair colored a iridescent blue. Sombra had noticed the pony before, he was one of the soldiers who had been at the tent. In fact he was standing right in front of him during the speech and was the first one to get cider after it was uncorked.

"Hello sir, the queen wants to hear a report on the matter of your plan of attack. She said that if she is to fight Discord with the right means, she can't have any doubts in her mind on whether or not you can defeat the Queen or not." The young stallion said casually. Sombra smiled.

"I can do my duty just fine, thank you, after all I've got the best tactician in all of Equestria on my side." Sombra said light heartedly, and then a thought crossed his mind and he frowned.

"Wait did you just call the princess, 'que-'" He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. The Stallion drove a knife through a kink in his armor and sunk it into his chest. Sombra roared in rage and pain and sent a shockwave of pure force toward his would-be assassin and sent him flying toward a wall opposite him. There was a sickening crack as the pony's neck snapped. Sombra began to turn away, but a flicker of motion caught his eye. He turned, bracing himself for another attack, while drawing his short sword, but the form before was in a state of death. The former pony had transformed into a creature he had never seen before. It had holes in its hooves and transparent-glass like wings. It had a black horn and large blue eyes. The thundering sound of hooves echoed through the streets, Sombra looked up to see Razer come galloping towards him bringing along a group of soldiers.

"We heard some commotion, and we'd thought we'd check i- What the hell is that thing?!" The earth pony stepped back startled by the creature lying before him.

Sombra grimaced,"Gentlecolts I think I found why they're called changelings."

After Sombra's wound had been treated he sent for Crimson. Crimson had been away from the house at the time, preparing some ponies for command positions. After Crimson heard what happened he had come immediately. He was sitting by Sombra in the parlor of his home. He had dismissed the medi-corns for the moment. Crimson had brought over a flask of cider and they sat around a fire passing it back and forth. After a minutes silence, Crimson finally spoke.

"Did it say anything to you?"

"Yeah, it was asking about our plans of attack on the changeling base." Sombra took another swig from the flask, and sweet foamy cider flowed into his mouth. [IT WAS PREMIUM..]The Cider was premium made from the finest apples in all of Equestria, from the MalfMilf ranch. "The only reason I'm still alive, is because he slipped up; he said 'the queen' instead of princess." He passed the flask back to Crimson. Sombra fell silent for a moment. "It wasn't supposed to be a crippling blow to us, it was supposed to send a message. Our element of surprise is gone; they knew that we're coming for them, and I suspect that if these things can mimic anyone of us, I'll bet they've known about it for a while."

"This poses some serious questions, then. Like when did they infiltrate us, how many of our men are changelings and how much do they know." Crimson said grimly. They both knew that this severely lessened their chances of success. The war against the changelings was going to be hard enough without worrying about the nature of the ponies they were leading into battle.

"Alright, call all the Stallions to the courtyard tomorrow morning. Tell them that if they are not present, they lose their meals for the next two weeks and that they will be kept in detention for a week after that."

Sombra sighed, "Why didn't Celestia tell us about these creatures?" He rose moving toward the door "This day cannot get any worse, I'm going to get some rest, see you in the morning Crim." Crimson lifted his hoof up in a small wave and turned back to order he was writing. Sombra smiled at the hard-working stallion; he had always been there for him.

Sombra shut the door behind him and stepped out into the cool night. The sun had risen up in the sky, its pale light casting a reflection on the surface of the fountain. He made his way down the steps and his personal guard fell into step behind him. He hadn't wanted a personal guard, as he thought he could take care of himself fairly easily. Crimson had convinced him that in his current state, there was no way he was in the condition to fight.  
The cobblestone streets of the Crystal Empire were barren. The only sound in the crisp night air was the echo of their hooves. Sombra didn't want any of the changelings to slip into a crowd and disappear.  
Sombra reached his home a few minutes later and the guards insisted to stand watch. He didn't like it, but he was too tired to argue.

When he got inside he found Stormbreaker fast asleep. He was curled up be the fire and his chocolate coat was glowing with the reflection of the fire. Sombra smiled and picked the little foal up and carried him to bed. As he tucked him in, Stormbreaker stirred slightly, but not enough to wake him. Sombra ruffled his hair, and kissed him on the top of his mane. He closed the door and turned around into Stargazer's embrace. Sombra held her tightly and stroked her mane. Her mane was lush and soft, and he was content just staying like this. Stargazer drew back and looked at him her eyes, full of worry.

"What happened to you? You're fur is all bloodied! Where were you, Stormy said he got lost and came home early," Stargazer said to him with a tone half worried and half scolding. Sombra grimaced, he didn't want make her worry anymore than she already was, but he couldn't lie to her, and not telling her could not only endanger her, but also Stormbreaker. Sombra took a deep breath and then told her about the night's events. Stargazer just stared at him for a while, and then asked quietly, "What are we going to do?"

"I'll take care of it. I'm calling the soldiers to a place where I can root out the enemy," Sombra said, managing to sound much more confident than he felt. "We'll make it through this Star. I won't let anything harm you; this, I pledge." Stargazer nodded, but the worry was evident on her face. Sombra put his hoof around her shoulders and led her to their bedroom, and ended the long night.

Hey, Sorry if there's been a huge delay between this chapter and the next one, but I've been super busy and stuff so...-_- Any way Expect the next chapter within the week, thanks for being patient! Your support really helps!


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